When the 23-year-old right-hander began the season in the starting rotation at Class AAA Colorado Springs, he wasn’t on the Milwaukee Brewers’ 40-man roster. Burnes did get his first experience in big-league spring camp, less than two years out of the 2016 draft.

Burnes was battling to survive in the hitter-friendly environment at Colorado Springs when manager Rick Sweet and pitching coach Fred Danby broke the news to him in June that he would be switched to relief duty. Why make that move with one of the organization’s top pitching prospects?

“They told me the Brewers might want to use me out of the bullpen to try to get to the World Series,” Burnes recalled.

Pretty good reason to switch, right?

A few weeks later, Burnes was called up by the Brewers and immediately thrust into a high-leverage situation in Miami on July 8, getting the ball in the eighth inning with a two-run lead. The Brewers won that game, 8-4, with Burnes getting a save by covering the last two innings without allowing a hit.

With that intense introduction, Burnes found himself in the big leagues, not only pitching in relief but in game-deciding situations for a team fighting for a playoff berth. Pretty heady stuff but Burnes has proven to be equal to the task, posting a 4-0 record and 2.79 earned run average over 22 appearances.

Rather than getting overwhelmed by the situation, Burnes has worked with the low heart rate of a librarian.

“That’s part of the reason why he gets opportunities,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Getting outs is the No. 1 reason. But he has handled himself very well in these situations.

“Presence is kind of an intangible you talk about. He has shown it from Day 1. It is a quality that has been shared with us from our development staff that he can handle these situations. He wants it; nothing is going to change. His stuff is going to look the same, no matter what situation he is in. That’s all you can ask for.”

A fourth-round draft pick out of tiny Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Burnes soared quickly through the Brewers’ system with a solid four-pitch repertoire, great command and fierce competitiveness. He has had to learn the completely different rhythm of a reliever, and with games on the line in the majors, but the transition has gone more smoothly than could have been imagined.

“It’s definitely been a new experience,” Burnes said. “It had been a long time since I came out of the bullpen. I did it my first year in college. Ever since then, it has been starting. I did some tandem pitching (in the lower minors) where I went second but it still was considered starting.

“I was able to gain some momentum in Triple-A and carried it up here. I kind of went through some ups and downs. That’s part of being in the big leagues.”

Burnes’ first – and thus far, only – down period came in mid-August when he struggled over three outings, allowing three hits, two walks and four runs over 3 1/3 innings. His ERA ballooned from 2.77 to 4.41, but Burnes and pitching coaches Derek Johnson and Lee Tunnell immediately identified the issue and corrected it.

“I was inconsistent with the slider,” Burnes explained. “That’s a pretty big pitch for me. I went through a week or two where I was scuffling to find the right grip. It’s just one of those things that happens. You try to work through it. I was leaving it up with two strikes.

“Since then, it has gone pretty well. We all kind of got going at the same time and went on a pretty good streak.”

Burnes has pitched scoreless ball in seven of eight outings since that three-game blip, and remains a key member of the high-leverage relief group, a team strength that is a major reason the Brewers are in the thick of the division and wild-card races.

“When I first transitioned (to relief), they said I’d be a multiple-inning guy. That’s all they said,” Burnes said of his initial marching orders. “The role has changed a little since then. I’m sure they wanted to see how things went. You just want to get the job done whenever they put you in there. We have a lot of good arms in the bullpen.”

As for any changes in his approach as a reliever, Burnes said, “I still try to mix it up, depending on the hitter and what his strengths are. I haven’t used the changeup as much as I would as a starter. That was something I used more the second and third time through the order. As far as mixing in the curveball and slider, we’ve done both.”

Unlike Josh Hader, who was kept in a relief role this season after tremendous initial success with the Brewers in 2017, the stated plan for Burnes is to return to starting next year, with the presumption that he will be given a chance to make the big-league rotation in spring camp. In the meantime, he’ll continue to get the ball in the middle to late innings with games on the line.

“It’s going to continue to be a good experience for him,” Counsell said. “It’s no different than (first-year starter) Freddy Peralta. The experience helps, as long as you use it and learn from it. We try to help that process.

“The most important thing is you learn, ‘How does my stuff look to a big-league hitter?’ That’s what a young pitcher has to figure out. And what’s next for me? Where do I need to go next?”

Burnes has no intention of putting that cart before the horse at this point. Winners of seven consecutive series, the Brewers are nearing the final two weeks of the season with hopes of winning the NL Central but at the very least securing the first wild-card berth, which comes with a home game.

“I think this will help me but a lot can happen between now and (next spring),” he said. “Everyone just wants a shot. It’s been great to get these innings under my belt, get used to the big-league life. It’s a lot different than down in the minor leagues.

“This has been exciting. Every game, every inning, every pitch counts. You don’t know how your stuff plays until you get to the big leagues.”

Burnes’ role might be different these days, but his stuff definitely plays.